Leland

Did you know?

A few things about Leland you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.

⭐ Famous Leland

Leland D. Melvin

NASA astronaut and engineer

Choose Leland and your child shares a first name with Leland D. Melvin, a NASA astronaut and engineer. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Leland, like who?” Leland D. Melvin's Wikipedia article is available in 26 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Leland D. Melvin on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: The White House, Public domain (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 2,791 baby boys born in the US in 2025 was named Leland, 612 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Leland would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistoryLeland has been in use since at least 1880, the first year US birth records were kept. That's 145 years of Lelands, and counting.
• 🏆Best yearIts best year was 1921, when it reached #171.
• 📈Then vs nowLeland is 5.2× more common today than it was in 2000. In 2000 it was given to about 1 in 14,451 baby boys; in 2025, about 1 in 2,791.
• 🍂TrendLeland has slipped 26 places over the last five years and now sits at #494. Good news if you want a familiar name that fewer kids will share.
• 📍Where it's lovedLeland is most popular in Alaska, where it ranks #110, followed by Michigan (#199) and West Virginia (#227). It's in the top 1,000 in 34 states.
• 💬MeaningIn Old English, Leland means “fallow land”.

About the name Leland

Leland is a boy name of English origin meaning “fallow land”. It has 6 letters and 2 syllables, starting with L and ending in “-and”. US birth records list Leland for boys from 1880 to 2025, in 146 of those 146 years. Its best year was 1921, when it ranked #171 among boy names. In 2025 it ranked #494, with 612 babies.

Origin:English names